Return to Hampton, VA (June 28, 2014)

Have not been to Hampton, VA for a while...but enjoyed my last visit some time ago. Read about Fort Monroe and wanted to see it; so got on the motorcycle on a mid 80's late June day (low humidity) and rode down I-64 (for the most part) to the Fort. Roads were real heavy with traffic-in fact came to a stop a few times. I actually got off near Williamsburg, but followed signs to Hampton Roads knowing that Hampton was nearby...and with more signs (VA is much better than Carolina telling you where things are) I was able to find my way to the Fort. I was impressed to say the least.  

"Fort" in Richmond being a dirt mound (which once had wood works but are gone) this was the real deal. Nice place until like 2011 (as I remember) it was an active military base. It also was during the Civil War. Got to see the building where Robert E. Lee lived while in the US Army..and the area where Jeff Davis was held for a time after the war (after friends posted $100,000 bail he was released and never tried) was also there. Very good (and free) museum in the Fort.
Photos above and to left are of the fort, its a big thing, and never fell (was in Union hands) the entire Civil War. I also have some photos on my Photo Page, but it was a very cool trip and enjoyed seeing it.  
Lots of interesting things in the area, and also being on the water got to see some fishing boats (commercial) and nice to be near the water anyhow.
Got back on the highway and headed back to Richmond...but first...

Stopped at the Hampton Air Park. There is also the Hampton, VA Air and Space Museum (which I have been to...charges admission) but wanted to see this free attraction. Has some rare planes and rockets. With a NASA facility and Langley Air Force Base in the area, they get some interesting things. Enjoyed my second visit here, looks like most of the items have been fixed up since my last visit with paint. Also had some people there to give information which was nice as well.
Coming back, same traffic problems....so at Williamsburg took VA5 back to Richmond. One of my favorite roads and a whole lot less traffic. Came to a 186 mile ride (thereabouts) and was a really good day for it. Hampton is a neat place to explore and plan to go back in the future....but with beach traffic (VA Beach is not far) might reconsider doing this again on weekends.  

2nd Annual Richmond Bacon Festival (June 8, 2014)

Went to this (the first one) last year...both were held in the 17th Street Farmers Market in Richmond, VA. The first was not well organized, beer lines were massive, they ran out of food...to be honest I was gone in 15 minutes.
The people who put it on said it would be better this year with more food, more beer, and a larger area. They were right...it was a whole lot better. The lines were shorter even though the crowd was much, much larger. It is one of the most interesting parts of Richmond held in the Shockoe Bottom area of the city.

 The main focus was Bacon and there were all sorts of bacon based treats...even bacon ice cream. There was all sorts of neat things to check out at a (usual) price of $4 for a sample.
Beer (as has been the norm of late) was $6 a cup (up from $5 in the last few years) but it is a good chance to check out and try some different beers.
It was a neat event, I like getting out to see some of the things Richmond has to offer, and it sure offers a lot as I have found. Fun to see all the people too...got to see some very interesting tattoos and this city is certainly fond of those!    

There were bands, there was bacon, there was beer, it did not rain (though it was more humid than the motorcycle ride the day before which is on my Racing with the Wind Page), and I also have some more photos (including one of the neat tattoos) on my Photo Page.
Richmond certainly (as you can see from the photo at left) loves these events as do I. Had a great time and am looking forward to the next one.
Closed out the night at Music in the Park, held on a regular basis in Forest Hill Park which is also in Richmond, VA  

Blue Ridge Parkway and Lynchburg (May 24, 2014)

 On Saturday May 24, got on the motorcycle and rode out to the Blue Ridge Parkway....always found it amazing in North Carolina (and sure to be some photos of it on this blog) when I lived there, this was the first time to explore at least a part of it in Virginia. Nice ride up I-64 to exit 99 which is actually the start of this great road. This was five miles on the road...a Mountain Farm display. This cabin was just one of many buildings...it was very neat. Wandered around and explored this, nice thing was the traffic was light (the whole day) and the weather was absolutely perfect for the ride.It was a great day to explore.    

Course the views there are remarkable, and I have more photos both on my Racing with the Wind blog and also on my Photo Page. Just a lot of oh wow moments along the way and a great many rock formations, flowers, animals, and just a remarkable road to ride on (or drive on if four wheels are your thing). While nearby Skyline Drive charges admission, the Blue Ridge Parkway is free and there is a lot of things there to see and do. I found the Virgina side to be every bit as pretty and interesting as its North Carolina counterpart-the road goes one for some 470+ miles into both states. It is really America's epic road.

Got off the Parkway after riding some 60 miles and headed via (near the mountains) a very twisty VA60 to Lynchburg, Va (via another short ride up VA29). This is part of the historic downtown; also a very nice Riverfront there (had lunch there) and a lot of other things to see and do (the War Memorial there is a must see). I did some wandering both on foot and on the bike. Be sure to know though this is a mountain town, and some of it is uphill.
After the visit there, headed back to VA60 and back into Richmond via that road, taking a few stops along the way. All in all covered some 311 miles of very beautiful Virginia which I have been finding is a very fine and wonderful state to explore. I have been on some great rides the last few weeks and got a feeling that the best is yet to come.
Take my word for it though, the Blue Ridge Parkway is well worth a visit to check out the amazing sights to be found there! 

Yorktown Motorcycle Ride (May 18, 2014)

Took a motorcycle ride to Yorktown, VA...this is my fourth trip there. I really like this area, love the ride there...went again down VA5 which is a great road on two wheels, or four for that matter. Go past a lot of plantations, farms, and many Civil War battlefields.
This photo I took from the York River, many warships from long ago (including the French Navy) have been on it, and so is the case with the US Navy ship (which I believe is a destroyer, but I could be wrong) which I saw during my visit. The road and the sights on the river are both amazing.  

I saw the big monument to to the victory over the British, and have photos of that (and other sights) on my Photo Page and my Racing with the Wind motorcycle blog, but this is a close up of the inscription on the monument (one of the four on it). It is near the Yorktown Battlefield which I have seen on a past visit (as well as Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg both of which are on the Colonial Parkway). Many things in all those places are very old including a number of items and buildings dating to the 1600's. Just a fantastic place with a lot of things to catch your eye.

 More ships and these you can ride on (for a price) without enlisting. In fact got to see the bigger of the two under sail (at the time though I was enjoying an ice cream cone from Ben and Jerry). All sorts of places to eat and drink, lots of stores to check out and places to walk around and see. There are even beaches to explore and lay around on; and they have sand. Though not on the ocean the crowds get pretty big especially in the summer. Yorktown is around 60 miles closer to Richmond than Virginia Beach. There are also hotels in the area if you want to stay longer than a day. 

This is a view of the beach..part of it anyhow and another view of the area as well as a look at the York River.
As I noted, have been there four times, once by car and three times by motorcycle. If you want a faster way (which I have done a couple of times) there is I-64 which will get there a little quicker than VA5.
One of the great motorcycle rides by the way is VA5 to Jamestown (via the Colonial Parkway) and then to take the ferry which is a blast to VA10 and back to Richmond. That I have done once and is a remarkable ride indeed! 

Petersburg and Music in the Park (May 11, 2014)

Went for a motorcycle ride on May 11, covered some interesting areas. That ride is listed on my Racing with the Wind blog, and also have some photos from the ride on my photo page.
Here is a tablet on Blandford Church which is on the National Register of Historic Places and dates to 1735.
Most famous for its involvement with the Civil War, the church is inside the grounds of the cemetery which is also very, very historic.
It dates to a time even before the Civil War, to the Revolutionary War and in some cases even before that. Petersburg has a long history and was an important battlefield (that battlefield is very close to the cemetery) in the Civil War.
Days after the fall of Petersburg and Richmond, Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia as it was known, to the Union forces under General Grant ending the bloodiest war in US history.  

 Many of the dead are buried in the Confederate section seen here from the seat of my motorcycle (that is its headlight and handlebars in the photo).
That section has a few monuments and as is the case with most Union or Confederate burials many if not most of the dead are unknown. The soldiers did not wear nametags, much of the deaths were caused by cannon (which caused severe damage) and also long times between death and recovery due to battle conditions made it hard to identify the deceased.
There are a number of war cemeteries in the Richmond area, as this was the main goal of the Union Army. Grant's campaign was the second major one during the Civil War, and a lot of the area battlefields were visited twice in the war years (many times within walking distance from earlier battles.
It was an amazing time, and a remarkable history...and this is a great place to see where it all happened (or much of it anyhow).    

Finally, on Sunday night, went to Music in the Park in Forest Hill Park. This band (all the concerts are free and usually draw a big crowd..this one certainly did) was a Talking Heads cover band.
The Park is also a very old place, dating back as land holdings of one of the original founders of Richmond, VA.
It was a very good Sunday- a little motorcycle riding, a lot of history, and some real good rock and roll.
Looking forward to my next adventure in the RVA and beyond. 

Art Fest (May 4, 2014)

 Nice Sunday, went to Byrd Park to the Art Fest....and usually without fail (sure I have missed one or two) go every year. One of the most fun things to do in May, it is a great art show with all sorts of art.
I like seeing original things, and one thing you learn seeing this is that there are some really, really creative people out there making some remarkable things.
The bell tower here was a WW1 memorial...still very neat in what is an amazing park (also of special note is Maymont which is attached to Byrd Park...if you have not been they are a must see during any visit to Richmond. I have been to both many times, and they are both featured on this blog.
Went with two friends from work Tony and Tina and we had a great time checking out the sights and some of the amazing things that you can see. 

One good example are these creations by one Clifford C. Earl of Glen Allen, VA. I could not believe them, and was really, really amazed at what he had put together. Very creative and a lot of imagination went into them. Talked with the artist (Mr. Earl is the man sitting against the left of the tent). More than I can afford but if I could....
Had a great time at the event, though had to park a distance away (but a walk through the park and the neighborhood is great) due to the rather large crowd. Which made for an interesting drive home....      

...because an College bike race was going on in Richmond. In fact I got to see part of it, mainly cause many of the roads were blocked....hard to drive the way back bacause of the traffic so took a different route. Made it, and even got some "sightseeing photos" of sights in the RVA which are on my photo page, as well as other photos of the event.
Did the bike race piss me off? No, big fan of people on two wheels (though a motorcycle is currently my bike of choice) though used to ride a bicycle (and someday may again. Think it was a very neat event and in fact enjoyed seeing a few minutes of it. 

Heart of Virginia Festival (May 3, 2014)

 As with the last post, this was another motorcycle ride, this time to Farmville (no joke) Va to the Heart of Virginia festival. I have photos on the photo page, and also on my Racing with the Wind blog, but wanted to put a few here. At the festival was this plane, I thought that was cool. They had a lot of things to see there including a car show, arts and crafts, bands and food (though I ate a Macado's....a chain but one I liked a lot when I lived in Concord, NC).
At any case, it was a very cool place to visit.

This is the courthouse, I love those old courthouses. Lots of very neat buildings to see there, it is a very old town (did some checking and could not find how old) but pre Civil War. In fact it played a rather large role at the end of the war as the Confederates surrendered not far from here. This was the line of retreat from Richmond, VA for the Army of Northern Virginia. So even got a little bit of Civil War history (as I did last week) during the ride...rode my motorcycle down much the same roads as the Confederates and following Union Army took.     

See, there was a festival, and quite a crowd over quite a few blocks. No admission to the festival which is always held the first Saturday in May, so enjoyed that. At any case, very glad I went and plan to go back next year (weather permitting).
As noted the festival is also held on the grounds of Longwood University, which is a very, very nice looking college with a number of old buildings but also a very modern look.
Been a good riding weekend, plan another ride on Sunday, nice after all the rain of the previous week.